No good deed goes unpunished: Good Samaritan stops to help accident victim, has truck stolen
Crash victim accused of stealing vehicle that belonged to a Good Samaritan who stopped to help.
A Good Samaritan in Volusia County, Fla., jumped into action late Monday to help the victims of a fiery highway crash – but was punished for his good deed when one of the victims stole his truck and sped away, authorities said.
Felix Coffman, 53, witnessed a man driving a blue Mitsubishi Lancer speed past him and rear-end another vehicle at about 8 p.m. on Interstate 95, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said. The Lancer caught fire after the driver lost control and crashed into a tree.
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“This guy shoots by me at over 100 miles an hour,” Coffman told officers at the scene as he described the fiery crash. He said he quickly pulled over to help the victims.
The driver of the Lancer was walking out of the woods when Coffman said he went to check on the other driver. He told police that when he turned around, he saw the driver of the Lancer “driving off in my damn truck.”
Zachary Searls, 27, was arrested for grand theft and other charges on Monday after he stole a Good Samaritan's truck and left the scene of the accident, police said. (Volusia County Sheriff's Office)
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The Sheriff’s Office said they identified the suspect as 27-year-old Zachary Searls. Deputies arrived at Searls’ home in Daytona Beach to find Coffman’s truck parked in the driveway, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Searls was arrested and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of a crash with injuries, no valid driver’s license and resisting an officer without violence. He was being held at the Volusia County Jail on $6,000 bail.
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The other driver in the crash was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center and treated for minor injuries, police said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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